


Caught Out

by roo2010



Series: Forever and Always [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Actor Tom Hiddleston, Dad Tom Hiddleston, Established Relationship, F/M, Hospitals, Non-Graphic description of birth, Pregnancy, Tom Hiddleston AU, Tom Hiddleston Is A Sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24609103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roo2010/pseuds/roo2010
Summary: As the time gets closer for Tom and Jackie to become parents, there are a few obstacles to overcome
Relationships: Tom Hiddleston/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Forever and Always [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1361038
Comments: 36
Kudos: 18





	1. A Sad Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I am definitely playing fast and loose with the time-line now, and from here on in if I'm honest.

Life continued on as usual, Tom making huge efforts to get to every midwife and Doctors appointment that he could. Our twenty week ultrasound scan revealed that our twins would be fraternal not identical but, as requested, we did not find out their sex as we still wanted it to be a surprise. The only blips on the horizon were the Press Tour for Thor: Ragnarok and a few weeks filming that I knew was happening and when but not for what as Tom was still being incredibly tight lipped about it. Part of the filming was actually first and I knew Tom was incredibly reluctant to leave me alone for that long but he had to go, so it was with heavy hearts that we said our goodbyes on our front doorstep. I wasn’t going to the airport this time as Tom didn’t want me dragging myself all across London for no good reason, and we hadn’t actually officially announced I was pregnant yet so hiding seemed like a good bet. That was the same reason I wasn’t going to the airport to greet him when he returned either. I knew he’d miss the enthusiastic welcome back he’d always gotten in the arrivals hall but I suspected my pregnancy would limit my speed somewhat anyway.

Tom did phone every day, sometimes twice, and from a series of incidents I worked out that he must be filming the next Avengers film as I occasionally heard voices I recognised in the background until Tom shushed them! There was one phone call in particular that made my heart ache for him, and want to be with him more than anything. He was so down and depressed that nothing I could say could cheer him up and I rang off eventually feeling very disheartened myself. The next day he was back to his usual chatty, jovial self and made no comment about his downer from the day before so I decided not to mention it either.

He arrived home a couple of days later, still tight lipped about where he’d been and what he’d been doing so I decided to pry a little. Remembering who I’d heard in the background on the phone I said casually

“How’s Hems?”

“Oh, he’s fine” said Tom enthusiastically “looking really well actually. I swear his muscles have muscles now!”

I smiled triumphantly at him “I knew you were with him!” I exclaimed “I heard him in the background of one of your calls. Who else was there?”

“No one!” said Tom, a little too quickly; obviously disgruntled I’d worked out, at least partially, what he was up to.

“So, Loki 5 then?” I teased

“Hardly Darling” Tom said sadly “if it were Loki 5 don’t you think I’d have been gone longer than a couple of weeks?”

“I suppose so” I said slowly “unless it was for costume fitting, or something else?”

“I can’t tell you” Tom said sincerely “I want to, so badly, but I can’t. It could jeopardise so much that I really can’t take the risk. Believe me, if I could I would!”

“I know you would” I said “I do understand, really I do. I was only teasing.”

“I know” Tom said with a small smile that morphed into something much larger and brighter when he saw how much bigger my bump had gotten.

“How are our Precious Beans?” he asked excitedly as he shifted our positions so he could put his head against my abdomen and have one of his usual ‘conversations’. At this stage the twins could hear external sounds, or so I’d been told, and it was true that if they were a little restless Tom’s voice could sooth them quite dramatically. I’d downloaded The LoveBook app for the very purpose of having something I could play to them when he wasn’t around, and if it helped me too so much the better.

Suddenly Tom stopped talking to my belly and drew back slightly, looking down in wonder. Jolted out of my thoughts by the sudden lack of mellifluous voice, I looked down just in time to see, and feel, a sharp kick from inside.

“Was that…?” He tailed off as it happened again.

“Yes Love” I said softly “our babies are moving quite nicely now. I thought I felt something whilst you were away but wasn’t sure. Now I am though!”

“Oh my goodness, that’s so amazing!” my astounded spouse exclaimed and he started to gently run his hands over my distended abdomen to see if he could garner a reaction from our children. He did get a couple of prods from them but then they seemed to settle down and go to sleep. We made the most of their ‘down time’, two babies moving around in my womb made for quite a lot of discomfort on occasion, so I’d learnt to do what I could when I could and made my way to the kitchen to start our evening meal. Tom followed immediately and basically took over the cooking duties once he’d determined what I intended to cook. I had to admit to myself, it was nice to have him home!


	2. Ragnarok, well it certainly feels like it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little 'bumpy', in more ways than one.

The Ragnarok Press Tour was rapidly approaching and I really wasn’t looking forward to it. Our Precious Beans seemed to have put on a growth spurt recently and now my back was complaining most days about the extra weight I was lugging around with me. Some days it was a real struggle to get out of my chair and I’d had to invest in a free standing sewing frame which didn’t interfere with my bump. Tom had reacted to the imminent tour by deciding that he was going to fill the freezer with homemade meals so that I wouldn’t have to cook so much whilst he was away which would be a huge relief. With his usual flair for organisation (which only seemed to surface when he wasn’t the one to be organised!) all the meals were beautifully labelled with contents and even the odd little declaration of love. It wouldn’t make up for him not being there but I knew he was trying to lessen the impact of three weeks away.

Far too soon the day of departure was upon us and we both had a heavy heart as we stood in our hallway to say goodbye. Jeff was outside, waiting patiently, as Tom kissed my bump twice and said goodbye to the twins and then kissed me, managing to infuse the simple action of putting our lips together with such love, passion and longing that I was sure it would sustain me for the duration. He managed to drag himself away eventually and waved disconsolately at me as Jeff drove the car down the road. This was going to be a very long three weeks culminating in the Premier in Los Angeles which I also wouldn’t be attending, as much as I wanted too.

Emma popped around the next day around lunch time and we happily dug through the stacks of boxes in the freezer to find something to eat. She stayed a while and made sure there was nothing I needed before leaving a few hours later. It was a nice surprise but I didn’t think anything of it. I mentioned it to Lizzie when she got home and again to Tom when he phoned that evening but neither of them reacted any way different than I thought they would. The following day it was Sophie Hunter, Benedict’s wife who popped over unexpectedly around lunchtime. She bought a pasta bake with her saying they’d made too much and it would be a shame for it to go to waste. We had a lovely couple of hours catching up and laughing at her son Kit’s antics as he toddled around investigating whatever caught his eye with the enthusiasm, and attention span, of a typical two year old.

Left on my own in peace and quiet after my latest visitors had gone home I was struck by the similarities between the visits. Though I was close with Emma and Sophie, we weren’t exactly ‘bosom buddies’ and didn’t usually meet up for lunch except for maybe once in a blue moon, yet both women had turned up at my door around lunchtime and proceeded to eat a meal with me. It was most peculiar to my mind. My budding suspicions that Tom was in some way connected with these seemingly random occurrences were given a further boost the third day after his departure when Elsa phoned me in the morning inviting Lizzie and I to hers for the evening meal. I knew Hems was with Tom obviously as they’d both sent me pictures already complaining about how much they missed me, which they’d accomplished with large pieces of card and a very thick marker pen. Again Elsa and I were close but Tristan, Sasha, and India kept her very busy and my small business took quite a lot of my time so we didn’t see each other as often as we’d like considering our men were such good friends. I was definitely beginning to sense a pattern and decided to call Tom out on it the next time he phoned.

I wasn’t quite at the not being able to drive stage yet but at the speed the twins were growing inside me I knew it wouldn’t be long before I could no longer fit behind the steering wheel and still reach the pedals. I decided therefore to make the most of the chance whilst I still could and when Lizzie got home from wherever it was she’d been we got into my new, much larger, car and headed towards the Hemsworth’s. India was, predictably, delighted to see Lizzie and spent all our time there showing her everything she could think of, from new toys to schoolwork she was particularly proud of. Tristan and Sasha were by now a very boisterous three years old, though it was easy to see that Sasha was already more of a daredevil; Tristan being more cerebral. We did have a lovely evening with good food, as I’d come to expect as both Elsa and Chris were really good cooks. We didn’t stay too late, just long enough for India to insist that Lizzie help put her to bed, and then made our happy way home where I would wait for Tom’s phone call with anticipation, especially as there was no way he couldn’t have known about Elsa’s invitation, my theory was that he’d instigated it!

It wasn’t long after we’d gotten home that Tom phoned, we exchanged pleasantries, asking about each other’s day as usual. Of course Tom’s day was far more exciting than mine but he always, at least, seemed interested in what I had to say regarding the mundane things I’d been up to. I think it helped to keep him grounded and not let the fame and adulation, go to his head, at least that’s what I hoped. The openings out of the way I decided to drop my bombshell.

“Tom, you’d better get hold of whomever you have planned to ‘Jackie sit’ me tomorrow, as they won’t be needed. Louise phoned after you did yesterday. She’s coming up to the city for something and she wants to come and see our new home.”

There was a short pause and then he tried denial “Pardon Darling? What do you mean ‘Jackie sitting’?”

I decided to cut to the chase “Thomas don’t deny it. You’ve set up some sort of rota, or schedule or similar so that someone, other than Lizzie sees me every day. I’ve had Emma, Sophie and Elsa all share a meal with me over the last three days and do you know, I can’t remember the last time I lunched with any of them?”

There was another pause whilst Tom gathered his thoughts. He knew it was serious as I’d called him ‘Thomas’ a name I very rarely used, much like he never used my full name, and I could imagine him sitting in a comfortable chair, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck in a familiar nervous gesture and I could also ‘see’ the rather sheepish expression on his face. We only video called when he had plenty of time and tonight was voice only.

“Ah.” Came a smaller than usual voice from across the world. “I had rather hoped that you wouldn’t work it out quite so quickly! I’m sorry Darling; I just wanted to make sure you were OK.”

I sighed “Tom, Love, I really didn’t come down in the last rain shower and I have been pregnant before, a while ago I grant you, and some things have changed but I do actually know what I’m doing!”

“I know Darling, and I am sorry. It just irks me that I can’t be there with you as much as I‘d like right now.”

“Oh Love” I sighed again “I miss you dreadfully too, and I’m sure our Precious Beans do as well, well at least your voice. I’ve had to play videos of you to get them to settle sometimes but you will be home soon, well a couple of weeks anyway and then it’s a straight run to the birth.”

“Well, nearly.” Tom responded

“What do you mean ‘nearly’?” I queried “What’s going on now?”

“I’ve had an email from Kenneth Branagh” he said, coming straight to the point for once “he’s been asked to put on a production at RADA to raise money to refurbish the main theatre there.”

“Right” I said drawing out the word slowly “and this involves you, how?”

“He’s putting on Hamlet” Tom explained “a three week run and he wants me for the lead.”

“OK” I said, still not really seeing a problem. The theatre was in London so it wasn’t a travel issue. “So what’s the problem?” I asked “I mean the theatre is in London, you basically owe Ken your career and you must know the play inside out by now.”

“The problem is the dates” Tom said slowly “the play is on in September.”

“But that’s when…” I started

“The twins are due.” Tom continued “I know. I’ve told Ken I would have to talk to you about it first.”

“You want to do it though?” I stated. It wasn’t even really a question. It had all Tom’s favourite things in one place and time.

“I do.” Tom admitted “You’re right, I owe Ken, and RADA my entire career and if I can pay them back in some small way I feel I should. However you and our Precious Beans come first.”

“What do the timing look like?” I asked practical head to the fore at last.

Tom sighed “They don’t look promising to be honest. The three week run is from 8th to 29th with Sundays off and no matinees, so that’s something I suppose and rehearsals would be two full weeks before that but I suspect, if I talk to Ken, we could work something out.”

“Right, so we really are looking at almost exactly when we can expect our new arrivals” I said “even if they come early, which they probably will. I’ll have a chat with Lisa on Tuesday and see if we can get a precise date. It might mean an elective Caesarean though and then I’ll need help at home, even if you are only going to be out for a few hours every night. They _might_ induce me but that only happens really if there’s a problem, and we’re trying to avoid that.”

“We are” Tom agreed “If the Caesarean is an option I’m sure Mum wouldn’t mind coming and staying for the duration as I’ll probably be out for at least five hours every night.”

“When do you have to let Ken know?” I asked, wanting to know what timescale I was working to.

“By the end of next week ideally” Tom replied “things can be set in motion then.”

“OK here’s what we’ll do” I stated “you phone Diana to see if she can help out. If she says ‘yes’ you can tell me tomorrow and I can talk to Lisa next Tuesday. I can let you know what she says and we can take it from there. It’s not ideal, and I can’t pretend I’m happy about it, but I’m also no so naive that I thought something like this would never happen. At least we will be in the same city so you can come home every night.”

“Thank you Darling” Tom said, sounding relieved “I agree it’s not ideal and any other project I would have graciously declined immediately.”

I know you would have Love” I consoled “but this is Shakespeare and Ken, an unbeatable combination. Guess I’d better prepare myself to be a real Hamlet widow.”

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise” responded Tom sincerely “and your birthday too.”

I have to be honest; I hadn’t given my birthday a second thought when Tom had mentioned the dates. I was far too focused on what it meant for us as a family for that particular nugget to register.

“I know you will.” I said kindly. One thing I could rely on was that Tom always made good on a promise, especially if he was making up for some real, or imagined, mistake he’d made. I knew I would be in for a very special treat indeed no matter had long I had to wait for it.

“Right, now we’ve got an idea of what we want to do…” I said, stopping when I heard a tiny laugh from the phone. “What?!” I said huffily.

“Sorry Darling” said my contrite sounding beloved “it’s just I’d forgotten that you hate the ‘P’ word and the lengths you will go to, to avoid saying it.”

“Ah” I smiled, understanding dawning, “You mean the word that begins with ‘P’ ends in ‘N’ and has an ‘A’ and ‘L’ in it too?”

Tom giggled again “Yes, that one, you really don’t like it, do you?”

“It’s a hangover from my old job” I admitted “it didn’t take long to discover if we said that word in relation to the day’s work the opposite was almost bound to happen, so we started to avoid it, definitely had better days and it became habit.”

“It’s adorable” said Tom “now I have go soon so can I say goodnight to the Precious Beans please?”

I rolled my eyes as I put the phone on speaker and held it close to my bump so Tom could indulge in his desire to talk to the twins every day. They had been slightly more active than usual during our call so the fact that they calmed on hearing their fathers voice was a decided boon that night.


	3. Lessons in Pregnancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tom learns some valuable lessons

Luckily for our sanity Diana was more than willing to come for an extended visit, even going so far as to offer to stay during the rehearsal period in case Tom couldn’t skip out as much as he’d like to. The Ragnarok Press Tour seemed to go well, the cast had obviously had a lot of fun filming it and that shone through in the clips I saw of the various news conferences. The Premier was to be held in Los Angeles and I was really sad not to be there. It was the first film I’d been in that I’d missed the premier, but there was no way that I would be cleared to fly this late on in my pregnancy, especially with my history. As was usual, no phones were allowed in the theatre but that didn’t stop Mark Ruffalo streaming some of it live during the showing!

It was a very tired but happy husband that made his way through the front door a couple of days later. I had been sitting on the sofa with my feet up and the first I knew of him being home was the unmistakeable thud of his backpack hitting the floor of the hallway. Before I could lever myself out of my seat however he has crossed the short distance between the entryway and myself and was kissing me ‘hello’. Quick as a flash he arranged himself on the sofa with his head as close to my lap as he could get and started kissing and murmuring to my ever expanding belly. Whilst it was true that Tom’s voice normally had a calming effect on the two babies his actual voice right next to them must have had a different quality to it because they seemed to get really excited and decided to use my insides as a trampoline as much as possible given the limited space they had. That, of course, triggered the other bodily function that pregnant women suffer from; frequent trips to the loo! And with so little room down there, there was no question of being able to hold on, oh no. Once I felt the need I had to go so poor Tom, just getting comfy on my lap was unceremoniously shoved out of the way as I made my way to the downstairs cloakroom.

“Are you OK Darling?” Tom’s voice was full of concern even as he scrambled to get off the floor he’d landed on after a particularly hefty shove on my part.

“I’m fine!” I shouted through the door “I’ll explain when I come out. Can you put the kettle on please?”

“Certainly Darling” he replied and I could hear the water running into the sink as he prepared the mugs. I soon joined him in the kitchen, deciding I’d sat down long enough and needed to stretch my legs a little, though my back was very achy that day. Tom noticed my grimace as my back gave a twinge as I entered the kitchen and was by my side in an instant.

“What can I do Darling?” he said, never having seen me like this before.

“Just hold me up please Love. I need to take a turn around the ground floor to stretch my legs but between my bladder and my back I could do with a bit of help.”

Immediately those long arms I’d missed so much were wrapped around me gently but firmly as he put aside his tiredness and need for a restorative cup of ‘proper’ tea to see to my needs. The house we’d bought was so large that it was possible to circumnavigate the ground floor in a loop and we did that twice before my legs felt like they were working properly again. I did understand the need to rest with my feet up after my experiences with Lizzie, I knew the signs to look for in case the pre-eclampsia came back but I did feel sofa bound far too much though I had gotten an awful lot of sewing done!

Tom decided two laps was enough and helped me to sit on the sofa again before going to make our interrupted drinks. Once he was back beside me, his free hand on protectively on my swollen belly he enquired as to what he’d just witnessed, and why, having just made space for a cup of tea I seemed intent on filling it straight away!

“Is that normal?” he asked, full of concern as always.

“Normal for this stage with twins? Apparently so” I replied with a rueful smile “There’s not a whole lot of room down there with two babies growing well, there’s no ‘holding on’ either so I’m sorry for your abrupt dislodgement.” Tom waived that remark off with a smile “It’s also important to stay hydrated so it’s basically a case of one out one in. Luckily for me it’s been fairly warm this year so a bottle of diluted squash and a glass to hand saves a little of all the up and downing but you’re home now and I can call on your lovely long legs to do some of my running around for me!”

“Of course you can Darling.” Tom said still smiling “anything you need, remember?”

“I do” I reciprocated “and I’m so pleased you’re home safe! So when am I going to see this latest masterpiece of yours. I’ve been looking forward to Loki 4 for ages you know?”

“I do know” Tom affirmed smiling at my name for Ragnarok “and you’ll be glad to know you’ve made it through the editing process once more. As for when? I was thinking a private home viewing this weekend with Lizzie?”

“And how will we manage that?” I queried gesturing to the admittedly large television screen mounted on the wall nearby “I mean it’s a very advanced telly but I don’t think it can pick up a transmission from the local cinema!”

Tom smiled at my obvious confusion “Ah, but as one of the stars, and a good friend of the director I may have gotten my hands on a covert DVD, guaranteed to have extra content in it; for our personal use only of course, just the three of us.”

I smiled at the unexpected perk of being married to a Marvel star, but I had a better idea.

“Or” I said slowly “we could go to the local cinema, like a normal family?”

Tom immediately voiced his concern “Are you sure Darling, it won’t be too much for you?”

I sighed internally, I’d been expecting this objection from him and so had my counter argument already worked out. “Tom. Love, I’m pregnant not fragile. I’d love to get out of the house whilst I still have the chance, now that we have a date for the Precious Bean’s arrival, and knowing that I won’t be able to do much for a while afterwards, including driving; don’t you think I’d relish the chance to breathe fresh air for a change? I know you and Lizzie will take the greatest care of me and I really want to experience the film with the fans, even if we have to sit at the back of the cinema incognito.”

Tom gave me a strange look as I finished speaking “I hadn’t thought about it like that” he admitted “and I do like to go to see the films on opening weekend if at all possible, so, if you are sure?”

“I’m sure” I said strongly “Come on, it will be fun!” I could see the second he capitulated, mainly because he got his laptop out and proceeded to book tickets for the back row of the screen that was showing Thor: Ragnarok (It would always be Loki 4 in my head though!) Once he’d finished we resumed the positions we’d been in before my unexpected toilet break and subsequent conversation. As Tom rested his head gingerly on my lap once more he said cheekily “You will try not to throw me on the floor again, won’t you Darling?”

I gave him a not so gentle poke in the ribs in retaliation “I’ll give you as much notice as I get” I said “so no promises!”


	4. Getting Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom, Jackie and Lizzie move towards the next big event in their lives via a birthday party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, It's been a while hasn't it? There has been rather a lot of ' life' going on I'm afraid but it seems to have settled somewhat for now so I hope to be able to get on a sensible schedule again. There is a lot more to come from this 'verse that I want to share with you :-)

Before we knew where we were it was August. Lizzie’s 18th birthday was a real family affair with us having an ‘open house’ party in Wiltshire as her birthday fell on a Saturday and another one, evening only, in London on the Sunday ensuring as many as her friends and family could celebrate her coming of age. I was only four weeks away from having the twins so it was quite useful to check the nursery in Wiltshire to make sure I had the supplies in we would need, even though I didn’t anticipate being able to spend any time there much before the end of October, with Tom’s run at RADA imminent and me having weekly midwife appointments with Lisa as she and Dr Broomfield both kept their word and a very close eye on me due to the risk of pre-eclampsia. I did feel like a beached whale as I waddled around our new village home greeting friends who all exclaimed at how big I’d gotten, though most were quick to add how well I looked. Tom was never far from my side, discharging his duties as host whilst making sure I wasn’t over exerting myself.

We had two clear weeks before Hamlet rehearsals started and although I knew he would make sure he’d run through the script a couple of times. I also knew it wouldn’t be difficult for him as he knew the play really well. He didn’t even have to have costume fittings as the actors would be wearing their own clothes which for him meant, a nice pair of well-fitting black jeans a dark jumper, dark jacket, and a rather nice leather bikers jacket for the fighting. I was rather envious of those that would get to see him as obviously there was no way I could manage it, though I did persuade him to give me a ‘fashion show’ of his various costume combinations.

All in all things were going well for our little family, Lizzie had sat all her exams at BIMM and was quietly confident, especially as she’d already been offered an unconditional place on their degree course for aspiring musicians and song writers, both areas she already excelled at. Tom and I of course were immensely proud of her, and Abbie by association who had also done very well and was also due to start her degree course in October with Lizzie. It was good to know that Lizzie would have somebody nearby if Tom and I needed to travel for any length of time.

Still, back to the present, I thought as I dragged my thoughts away from the future and to the sight of my wonderful daughter, surrounded by her friends, excitedly opening her presents and cards before blowing out the candles on her cake. I don’t think I’d ever been to such a well behaved party, though I knew that she and her friends were heading to the pub in the village once the party wound down to celebrate ‘properly’ but before they went they did help clear up the majority of the mess, not that there was much anyway. once we were alone Tom hurriedly did what little washing up wouldn’t go through the dishwasher and then joined me on the sofa where he proceeded to give my feet a glorious massage.

“Mmm, I might have to book one of these for tomorrow” I said sleepily as all the small aches and pains magically disappeared.”

“I suspect that can be arranged.” Tom said tenderly, working diligently on my feet.

I had a feeling he was humouring in me slightly though. When he’d found out about the possibility of my getting pre-eclampsia again he had done his research thoroughly, as was only to be expected, and discovered that one of the early signs was abnormally swollen ankles which of course would be easy to spot. Therefore I was sure he’d taken it on himself to keep an eye on them under the guise of those glorious foot massages. Once he was done I yawned widely which caused him to embark on the next stage of ‘look after Jackie as best I can’

“Tired Darling?” he asked solicitously.

“Not too bad, considering.” I responded

“Considering what?” came his reply.

“Considering our children seem to have decided that now is the perfect time to have a little party of their own to celebrate their big sister’s birthday.” I said, just as a particularly vigorous kick was visible in my extended stomach.

Tom winced in sympathy as Precious Bean number two joined the kicking competition and added some rolling around for extra interest.

“How about we give them ten minutes to ‘play’ and then get you to bed?” he suggested “I can read to you all if you want?”

“That sounds heavenly” I said with a heartfelt sigh “what are you going to read?”

“Well” he replied “have you got a book on the go at the moment?”

I snickered at him; it was a standing joke between us that we both had at least one book we were reading at any one time. I could actually have two or three on the go depending on where I was. “Of course I do, silly, it’s on my beside table.”

“Right, well that’s settled then” he said as another foetal limb rolled over my insides. “They certainly are active tonight.” He remarked as another bulge appeared.

“Hmm” I said trying unsuccessfully to supress another wince as my bladder came in for some rough treatment from the twins. Tom noticed of course and decided enough was enough and it was time for at least three of us to get some rest. He helped me upstairs and into bed, via the obligatory trip to the toilet and then settled us down on the bed, me under the covers and him on top lying on his side with his knees bent right up so that his head wasn’t too far from the focus of the exercise, the babies in my belly. It couldn’t have been very comfortable for him, or a very good reading position but he did his best as he read a few pages of my current novel. As we’d hoped the twins settled down pretty quickly and I don’t think I was far behind them, lulled as always by Tom’s beautiful voice.

We rose late the next morning, well late for us, to the smell of fresh toast wafting up the stairs. Lizzie had obviously taken it upon herself to make breakfast and I just hoped she’d made enough for all of us. Toast and Lemon and Lime marmalade sounded like a pretty good idea right then. Lizzie had actually done more than enough toast and the kettle was freshly boiled too as Tom and I made our way downstairs. She was the perfect hostess too, making Tom and I a cup of our preferred tea each, and even clearing away once we were done. It was so nice of her but then she knew Tom had a long drive ahead of him as we headed back to London for her second party, and I think she was just trying to show me she cared.

Once the kitchen had been squared away and the fridge checked as usual for perishables, we grabbed our belongings and pointed my new car’s nose towards London. About the same time we realised that we needed a bigger house we realised that a bigger car would be necessary too, so we had started looking and found a people carrier that fulfilled all our space requirements. We still needed two cars though and to Tom’s delight we had decided that he could keep the sports car if he wanted. He had, for now, but I had a feeling that he would trade it in fairly soon after our Precious Beans arrived because it was totally impractical for transporting one baby let alone two and their attendant paraphernalia. Still I wasn’t about to dictate to him about his beloved Jag as I was confident he’d work it out in due course.


	5. The Final Push

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go then, I hope you're all ready to meet the new additions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the rating because of the birth but it's not graphic so hopefully won't offend. Also tags updated.

We were actually hurtling towards our planned due date at a ridiculous pace. Even though we were having an elective Caesarean because of the circumstances, which I still wasn’t too happy about but totally understood, Tom had expressed an interest in joining the appropriate ante-natal class with which I was in complete agreement. With Lizzie being so early I hadn’t gotten to any of my scheduled ones when I was pregnant with her, they were due to start four days after she was born so I was keen to experience then for myself too. Accordingly we had cleared our schedules for the days in question and turned up to every class, learning everything I wished I’d known first time around. Tom, predictably, threw himself wholeheartedly into what was, basically rehearsals for the biggest and best role of his life, changing practice nappies and pretend bathing dolls until he was more proficient than some of us second time mums, which I was secretly pleased about because the more he could do the more help he would be when he was home. All the parents-to-be were incredibly considerate when they realised who was joining their group and, to be honest, we only ever saw one photo of us online and the couple in question took it down as soon as they were asked. It was up long enough to be found by the most determined Hiddlestoners though and caused a flurry of excitement on Twitter, Tumblr and anywhere else they could get it! The fans had, for the most part, been very respectful when we’d been out and about, not that I had been out much recently with the twins restricting my mobility somewhat but Tom often came home with sweet little outfits given to him by his adoring fans when he met them at specific events. We hadn’t announced we were having twins so inevitably ended up with only one of things but as I had no intention of dressing the twins identically, even if they were the same sex (which we still didn’t know as it didn’t really matter to us) Tom and I had already decided that any clothing that turned out to be unnecessary would be donated to charity and, given that we were amassing quite a pile of all sizes I thought it might be a worthwhile donation.

Of course the inevitable happened during rehearsal time for Hamlet, luckily it was on a Sunday and Tom was home but it was a huge shock when I waddled to the toilet only for my waters to break. I’m sure my shout could have been heard halfway across London as I called for Tom who, to his credit, came running along the hallway as fast as he could. He took in the situation in a single glance but then it would have been hard to miss the huge puddle beneath me.

“I thought the operation was the 6th?” he said as he helped me remove my sopping underwear and my skirt that had been caught in the wash.

“It is!” I huffed “nobody told our babies it would seem!”

I winced as a contraction hit ‘No. No’ I thought ‘It’s too quick, I can’t have the babies at home!’

Tom noticed, of course, though that might have had something to do with the enormous squeeze I gave his hand as the contraction rippled across my belly. “Right.” He said, taking charge “You stay here, and stay calm, I’ll phone the maternity unit and see what they say.” He ran off to get his phone and was back within seconds. After a brief conversation with the hospital he ended the call and told me what would happen next. Letting me hold one of his hands again he said.

“Right, well the hospital is happy for me to bring you in but we have to go now, even though your waters have only just broken, with your history and it being a second pregnancy they are taking no chances, and neither am I!”

I smiled at his attempt at levity as Diana and Lizzie arrived, no doubt drawn by the commotion of Tom running through the house. He briefly explained what was happening and Lizzie immediately ran off to get the ‘baby bag’ which had been sitting in our bedroom for about a week now, as I knew from experience that babies were not very good at following a script. Once she was back Tom helped me up off the toilet and Lizzie helped him help me don fresh underwear. It was going to be an uncomfortable drive to the hospital and Diana suggested a towel on the seat to catch any more leakage. All these preparations seemed to take no time at all and before I knew it we were hugging Lizzie and Diana goodbye and Tom was promising them updates as soon as he could.

Tom had obviously practiced a few routes for getting to the hospital as we went a way I’d never been before but were not caught up in any tourist traffic that was usual for a London Sunday. I’d only had a couple of contractions on the journey and neither of them had been very intense but they were definitely not of the Braxton-Hicks variety. It was in a state of relative calm that we arrived at the hospital and parked in the maternity department long stay car park which was a little walk from the main entrance but I figured the walk wouldn’t hurt; it might even help the twins settle into position. Tom, of course, bounded out of the car as soon as he’d stopped the engine and was opening my door before I could barely blink. He gently helped me onto my feet and out of the car, snagging the baby bag out of the boot as we passed the back of the car.

We made our way slowly to reception and informed the midwife who were and what we thought was going on. Lizzie had been induced so I’d never actually had a completely natural labour before so I was now more now more grateful than ever that Tom had insisted on the ante-natal classes. There must have been a note in my records as almost immediately we were attended to by Lisa, who was luckily on duty, and another senior midwife who led us to a birthing suite. Under the direction of the wonderful women who would be responsible for bringing our children into the world. Tom helped me onto the bed and got me situated as comfortably as possible. Once I was settled he made sure that the baby bag was out of the way and everything we thought we might need was close at hand. Whilst he was doing that all the necessary equipment was wheeled into the room and I was immediately hooked up to a blood pressure machine.

So began the longest, hardest ten hours of my life. I’d thought having Lizzie was bad enough, although labour seems to be a weird thing where you know it hurts like billy-o when it’s actually happening but five minutes later you can’t describe it to anyone which, I suppose, is why the human race hasn’t died out yet. But doing it twice, one after the other was a world away from my previous experience. Tom was absolutely brilliant, getting me drinks of water and generally supporting me when I needed it most. He never complained when I whined at him that this was all his fault and offered continual physical support and verbal encouragement as all the contractions and pushing threatened to become too much for me.

Our first child was born relatively easily all things considered and the relief I felt as they cried for the first time had me welling up too. When the midwife in charge of Bean One said she was a girl Tom and I locked eyes and together said “Her name is Delenn” it was a name we both liked and seemed to hint at my distant Irish ancestry which I was proud of. Tom cut Delenn’s cord and then he was back at my side waiting patiently for Bean Two who was a lot more stubborn and needed encouragement to venture into the big wide world.

“It’s a boy!” Lisa announced to the room and if it was possible for Tom to radiate any more joy I’m not sure how it would be achieved.

“A son.” He said quietly “Oh thank you Darling, we have a daughter and a son.”

I was absolutely shattered and even with the help of the epidural injection that Lisa had insisted on to help with my blood pressure, I knew I’d be sore for days and I still had more work to do before I could relax properly. I still managed to answer by beloved husband though

“We do Love, are they both OK?”

“Yes Darling, they are perfect.” Came the tearful response. “Our gorgeous children Delenn and…”

“William James” I finished off. We had a few names we’d liked and not knowing the sex of the babies before they were born meant of course that final names had to wait until they arrived. Both the names we’d chosen had been the firm favourite for their sex and I was incredibly happy that they seemed to fit perfectly thus far, we wouldn’t change them now anyway.

Lisa suddenly butted politely into our personal goo fest “Right Daddy, you come with me and the twins and we’ll get their health checks done, and them cleaned up quickly whilst Mummy tidies herself up a bit and then you can all have some quality skin on skin time.” And without further ado she hustled Tom and our new children out of the room but not before I’d seen Tom’s reaction to being called ‘Daddy’ for the first time by somebody else, he dew himself up with pride to his full height and actually seemed taller than usual with a grin so wide you could have parked a bus in it. With a last, shyer, smile to me he was out of the room.

I relaxed slightly as the second midwife helped me make myself presentable again which seemed to involve a lot of extra padding in certain places. I was feeling slightly more myself but still shattered when Tom, Delenn and William re-entered the room, Tom looking a little shocked I must say but he refrained from saying anything until the midwives had left, putting a privacy notice on the door on the way out and drawing down the blinds so that Tom and I could have the skin on skin time without the chance of someone bursting in. To my surprise Tom took his shirt off too and the four of us lay in a cuddle until Delenn decided she was hungry and started rooting at his chest.

Tom gave a soft chuckle as he said “Not quite the right parent darling girl.” as he handed her over and took William who was also beginning to squirm slightly whilst Delenn had her first meal from me.

I had forgotten how utterly relaxing it was to breastfeed when it’s all going well and luckily Delenn had latched on straight away.

“Are you OK Love?” I found myself asking quietly as not to disturb my new daughter. “You looked a little shocked earlier.”

“I think it’s all catching up on me.” he replied just as quietly “and they’re so tiny!”

“No they’re not” I refuted “they are a good size for babies born at 37 weeks and not many twin births get much past that stage as you know. They are both considerably bigger than Lizzie was at birth. And don’t I just know it!” the last was said under my breath.

“And, my darling Jackie, you were absolutely amazing. I’m sure I wouldn’t have coped half as well” he said, giving me a soft kiss to a squawk of protest from William who he’d dislodged slightly in order to reach. Another chuckle emanated from Tom as he reassured his son

“Now, now William, just wait your turn. Mummy will be finished with Delenn soon and then you will get to have some.”

As I suspect Tom had hoped, hearing his voice calmed William and he settled down in Tom’s arms to wait his turn. We were both really enjoying the one on one time with our new arrivals and smiled lovingly as our daughter fell asleep whilst feeding and we swapped the babies over, Tom gently putting her over his shoulder to wind her before she fell too deeply asleep. William took a little longer to figure out how to get his share of the milk and I wondered if I was already seeing their personalities, Delenn much more forward and raring to go, first out of the womb and figuring out feeding at the first attempt whilst William seemed a little slower on the uptake but getting there in the end. He too fell asleep at the breast and I winded him as Tom had done for Delenn before we put them to bed for the first time. Tom having the privilege because I still hadn’t been cleared to stand on my feet after the epidural. Once the twins were safely in the same cot and sound asleep we got ourselves dressed again. Although it was quite late a phone call home was in order to reassure Diana and Lizzie that all was OK with our expanded family. They were, of course delighted and promised to come in and see us all the next day.

As Tom ended the call my stomach gave an almighty gurgle, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything substantial since breakfast twelve, or was it thirteen hours ago. My love immediately reached for the bell push and rang it and we waited for the response. Soon enough a student midwife stuck her head around the door, Tom gave her a winning smile and said

“I am very sorry to be a bother but would it be possible for my wife to have something to eat? She’s had rather a busy day today,” he added indicating the sleeping babies “and hasn’t had anything since breakfast”

“Oh goodness!” the student exclaimed “Yes, I can get you something. I’ll be as quick as I can.” Her head disappeared back around the door as she hurried off.

“Thank you Love” I said quietly. I was really tired now but knew I needed to eat and then see how much sleep I could get before being called on for feeding duties again.

“No problem Darling” Tom said lovingly “After what you’ve achieved today you deserve looking after.”

I wanted to say that he always looked after be but couldn’t quite convert the though into words. I did however manage to say

“You need to eat too.”

Tom brushed that off with a breezy “I’ll grab something when I get home, or Mum might have done something for me, either way you are the one who’s done all the work today so you are my priority right now.” 

Just then there was a tentative knock on the door and our student midwife reappeared with a covered tray. She was apologising as she placed it on the over the bed table that Tom hastily put into place.

“I’m sorry it’s not much. It was left over from the evening meal but I’ve warmed it in the microwave so it should be ok.” She removed the cover to reveal a very watery looking shepherd’s pie and some limp and lacklustre runner beans. I was reminded of what I’d been told about airline food a long time ago ‘it’s fuel not food’ and smiled at her gratefully.

“Thank you for putting yourself out” I said with as much sincerity as I could bearing in mind my exhaustion.

“Yes. Thank you” echoed Tom “we really appreciate it” he must have been shattered too, his day had been as long, if not quite so strenuous but not a sign of it was in his voice or showed on his face, another benefit of being such a good actor I suppose.

I discovered a major problem as I tried to eat though. Due to the chance of pre-eclampsia and the rushed nature of the delivery I’d ended up with two, rather large needles stuck in me for a while. One was in the back of my left hand and the other was on the side of my right wrist. The needles were not a problem for large hand movements required for holding babies but the fine control needed for feeding myself was beyond me.

“Umm. Tom” I said hesitantly

His attention was immediately on my and not on the sleeping bundles in the cot by our side. “Yes Darling? What do you need?”

“I can’t grip my cutlery with these blooming needles stuck in me, can you help please?”

Tom smiled fondly at me. “Of course I can Darling, just give me a couple of seconds” He adjusted our relative positions and proceeded to feed me the insipid meal. I was very glad that I’d had the foresight to put a bottle of my favourite squash in the baby bag as then at least I had something nice to drink after I’d finished eating, I knew it was important to stay hydrated whilst breast feeding and I really didn’t like plain water so squash was my preferred alternative.

As Tom tenderly fed me the last mouthful he wrinkled his nose in distaste and commented

“Well I hope the food is better for the rest of your stay Darling.”

“So do I” I said with feeling “hopefully we won’t be in too long though and they tend to do things differently in maternity units anyway, more a communal eating area than at your bed, well it was a few years ago anyway.”

It was reasonably late by now and although there had been no mention of kicking the new Daddy out because visiting times were well and truly over Tom decided it was time to head for home and see the new Nanny and half-sister, and to get me a change of clothes for the next day. He would be preceding Diana and Lizzie the next morning as they would have to wait for the official visiting times. The twins were still sleeping so he kissed his fingers and placed them gently on each child’s forehead and then came over to kiss me goodbye too.

“You’re amazing, and I love you so much.” He said sweetly after the kiss.

“I love you too Tom, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bright and early” he agreed and headed for home.

With a last look at my still slumbering Beans I settled down too, knowing that I needed to sleep when they did until they got settled into a routine.


	6. New Parents Day One - part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins meet their family for the first time, and Jackie and Tom start to get an inkling of what life will be like for a while.

The next morning with there being no chance of any medical intervention needed those large needles were removed and I regained full mobility in my hands just in time for breakfast so I could feed myself again. The twins had woken a couple of times in the night and with the help of a friendly midwife I soon learnt the knack of having one on each breast, confident my body would produce what they needed. They seemed a very content pair thus far but I was aware that it was very early days and I was sure that their personalities would begin to emerge before long.

I was drawn from my thoughts by a gentle knock at the door and after I’d said “Come in” Tom popped his head around the jamb. He looked more refreshed than I felt and had seemed to have benefited from a good night’s sleep. He entered the room fully dragging a pair of helium filled balloons with him, one pink and one blue both proclaiming the arrival of a new baby.

“Good morning Darling.” He said softly, realising I was busy with the twins and anxious not to disturb their breakfast.

“Morning Love, sleep well?” I asked

“No, not really” he answered “there were three people missing from home and I couldn’t settle properly!”

“It doesn’t show” I reassured “and believe me, you will know it when the three of us are home again”

“I’m looking forward to it immensely, I think” he said cheerfully “Though I don’t really know what to expect, apart from lack of sleep of course!”

“Yes, it’s not going to be ideal for you at RADA is it but I suppose it can’t be helped. Are you in early today because you have rehearsals later?”

I was gifted with a beatific smile as I was happily informed he didn’t

“I phoned Ken when I got home last night to tell him our good news, he’s the only one, well apart from Luke of course” he confessed quickly “Anyway Ken told me to take the rest of the week off. He knows I know what I am doing and they can use my understudy for anything the cast need this week.”

“That’s very good of him” I said happily “And we don’t have to arrange going home around your schedule now, which is a blessing.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” he admitted

“Never mind Love, your brain will soon get used to it, it’s inevitable when you have children, even more so when its twins I guess. I’ll let you know!”

Opening pleasantries over I asked about the new décor in my room “Where on earth did you get those balloons from Tom? I can’t see how you’ve had any time; it’s still quite early isn’t it?”

“It is” he agreed “but I wanted you to have something to mark the occasion and didn’t think flowers were a good idea so I asked Mum and Lizzie to get them yesterday when we knew the twins had arrived.”

“Ah, it makes sense now” I said “You must forgive me Love; I have a proper case of ‘baby brain’ at the moment!”

“Is that a real thing, I thought it was a myth!”

I giggled “I wish! You wait Love, very soon you will notice that your usually intelligent and well organised wife will have trouble stringing a couple of sentences together and will forget where she has put the thing she is holding in her hand!”

“I’ll be on the lookout for that Darling” Tom said with a fond smile “now, have you had breakfast yet?”

“Yep” I said happily “The needles came out early this morning so I’m all mobile again, in my hands at least, the rest of me is subject to change. I’m still very sore ‘down below’ as you’d expect and I’d rather not talk about anything more basic!”

A look of sympathy and understanding crossed Tom’s face at my words. “Well I hope that doesn’t last too much longer for you Darling.”

“So do I” I said with real feeling “I want to be coming home soon, and I can’t until everything is back to normal again. At least the twins are doing well.”

“They are?” said Tom with a hint of pride, but also worry. An interesting combination to hear. “No problems because they were premature?”

“They weren’t premature Love” I corrected gently “Actually they were bang on time for twins. They haven’t needed any help at all and are doing well.”

“I’m so pleased” he replied “They’re clever already!”

I giggled again then “It’s far too early to be able to tell anything like that yet Love, the only thing we know for certain is their eye colour. With both you and I having blue eyes, the only question is what shade of blue they will have!”

The twins had finished feeding by then and Tom gently took Delenn from me to wind her whilst I dealt with William. They were sleepy again but needed changing before they could be put back in their cot so with all the supplies ranged on the bed between us Tom and I embarked on the first of many tandem nappy changes. Delenn had perked up a bit when she realised that her Daddy was holding her but she soon drifted off again and I could see that Tom really didn’t want to put her down to sleep so he sat in the large nursing chair and rocked her gently until she was fully asleep whilst I did the same to William on the bed.

Once he too was soundly asleep I looked over at Tom who was gazing at his daughter in wonder. “Do you want to hold William too?” I asked

“Can I?” he answered but it was with more trepidation than eagerness.

“Of course you can Love, if I can manage to feed them at the same time you can definitely hold them, especially with your big hands.”

“Yes please then” he answered softly “I did wonder, for a while, if I’d ever have one child. To hold two at once is not to be sniffed at.”

Holding William carefully I used my free hand to shift the bed covers and slid gently to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. Still feeling a little fragile down below I continued to slide off the bed and padded the couple of steps over to Tom. He had shifted Delenn to the crook of one arm and it was simple to transfer her brother to the crook of the other one. Both babies squirmed a little at being gently jostled but soon settled again as Tom started talking nonsense to them, his voice doing its usual job of calming them down. I was hoping that they would do the same for my voice soon as it would be problematic in the least if Tom was away and he was the only one to be able to soothe them. The picture in front of me was so adorable I had to grab my phone and take a couple of pictures. Tom’s face was rapt as he took in the features of his children, possibly for the first time properly as the day before had been a little busy to say the least, apart from the skin on skin time which had been wonderful.

It was this sight that greeted Diana and Lizzie as visiting time officially started and they came to meet their new family. I knew we were also expecting James and Emma at some point that day but according to Tom everyone had kindly agreed to stagger their visits so as not to overcrowd the twins. Tom happily relinquished the babies, one to Diana who also took over the chair and one to Lizzie who had perched next to me on the edge of the bed. I smiled up at Tom who now he was unencumbered came over to kiss me on the top of my head.

“They’re beautiful Jackie” Diana said fondly “Congratulations to you both.”

“Thank you Diana “I said happily “they’re very good so far. I just hope they stay that way”

“Tom was a good baby” Diana offered “It was only as he got older he became more of a handful!”

That provoked smiles all-around of course. Lizzie was holding her new half-brother as carefully as she could and was delighted when he opened his eyes to look straight at her. The delight didn’t last long though for as soon as William realised that it wasn’t me holding him he let out an almighty wail and then started crying in earnest.

“What did I do?” Lizzie asked with a worried look on her face.

“Nothing Sweetie” I soothed my eldest child whilst gently transferring my youngest to my arms “William just wants his Mummy right now” and indeed as I spoke he calmed down considerably.

“Is he hungry again?” Tom asked

“I don’t think so” I replied “he’s not rooting just yet.” Delenn was still quiet too so I theorised that we probably had another twenty minutes or so.

“We should take some photos” I suggested.

“Brilliant idea Darling!” Tom said happily. “Do you want to give William back to Lizzie and we can do Mum, Lizzie, and the twins first?”

Lizzie was a little hesitant to take William again and as Diana hadn’t held him yet we simply swapped the babies over and Diana joined Lizzie sitting on the bed whilst Tom got ready to tale the picture. It occurred to me then, that Tom and I hadn’t actually had our photos taken with Delenn and William at all yet so that had to be rectified post haste. The picture of the day though was taken by Diana; Tom, Lizzie, and I all crowded on the bed with Tom holding Delenn and me holding William. All those awake were smiling fondly at the two who were still asleep and it was the perfect ‘new family' picture. Tom asked for, and got my permission to post it to his social media accounts with the caption ‘Delenn and William James welcome to the family’.

We’d already discussed the twin’s public exposure and had decided that with me working from home and Tom travelling a lot for work we wouldn’t be seen out much together which was sad for us as a family but would mean that the twins would be exposed as little as possible. Any paparazzi photos published would have to blank their faces anyway if they didn’t have our permission to publish them, which we were very unlikely to give and I was confident that Tom, Luke and their legal team would pursue any transgressions to the full extent of the law. This seemed to work for the Hemsworth’s so we hoped they’d be able to give us more valuable advice. However I did think it was only fair to give Tom’s loyal army of fans something for all their support since we’d gotten together, and all the little gifts already sent to the twins, though nobody had known outside family and very close friends had known two babies were on the way. It was time for Lizzie and Diana to go back to Belsize Park then so that the next family members could arrive, and give me a chance to feed my gorgeous babies.

James and Emma were next bearing gifts for their new grandchildren and niece and nephew respectively. They gladly sat and held the new arrivals and Emma managed to take a picture of James, Tom, Delenn and William all together showing the generations and mirroring the one Lizzie had taken with Diana earlier. Both those photos I knew would have pride of place on respective mantelpieces or walls depending on space and circumstances. It was far too early to tell features but James was convinced that William had inherited Tom’s aristocratic nose and Emma remarked on Delenn’s long fingers. I just hoped that their characteristics and features were a proper blend of the two of us. I really didn’t want my Disney Prince to have Disney kids too where all the boys took after their father and all the girls their mother!

Once James and Emma had left we had some peace which was useful because Delenn and William had decided they were hungry again and needed feeding ‘now please Mummy!’ We had to pop our crying babies in their cot for a short while whilst I rearranged myself comfortably on the bed and Tom placed the twins in my arms and helped them latch on. They fed again until they were sated and were content when Tom and I did another tandem change of nappies.


	7. New Parents Day One - part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing the first day as Mummy and Daddy for Tom and Jackie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short, but hey at least I am posting fairly regularly again ;-)

Lisa popped her head around the door just as we put the twins back in their cot for another nap.

“So, how are the new parents doing?” she asked

“Fine thanks. I think?” Tom said, looking to me for confirmation and giving me a smile when I nodded my agreement.

“Brilliant!” said Lisa chirpily “And the twins are feeding OK?”

“Yes” I replied “no bother at all, thank goodness”

“Good, good” was the response “Well I was going to check their weight but seeing as they are sleeping I can do it this evening. it won’t make much difference they’ll probably have lost a little weight anyway.” seeing Tom’s worried look she hastily continued “Nothing to worry about unduly Tom, all babies lose weight after they are born, we are just checking that they don’t lose too much too often.”

“That was the first thing Lizzie was really good at, losing weight.” I reminisced with a wry smile. “She was in hospital with me nine days because she couldn’t gain as much as they wanted her too, but then she was that much earlier than the twins and every day in the womb makes a huge difference at that stage.”

“It does” Lisa confirmed “But I don’t think we will have that problem with William and Delenn, they were a very good birth weight so I think a couple of days should do it.” She added confidently.

Tom let out a sigh of relief, both at the prognosis for the twins and the realisation of what that meant “You’ll be home before opening night then Darling” he said happily.

“Yes, Love, I still won’t be there but we will all be waiting for you at home when you return triumphant. And as the twins won’t be sleeping through the night for a little while there’s a very good chance you will get to see them awake too!” I answered.

“It’s my idea of heaven” Tom said, still smiling “Shakespeare in the evening and my family waiting at home. Bliss!”

The thing was I knew he was being totally honest, throw in a certain make of oaty biscuit and it really would be perfect for him. With that in mind I made a note to text Lizzie to make sure we had some of those biscuits in the cupboard.

True to Lisa’s prediction and Tom’s consternation, even though he’d been warned, the twins did lose weight slightly at their second weighing. Lisa wasn’t worried in the slightest though and just told me to keep doing what I was doing. She also told me that the twins new-born blood checks had come back clear so that was one more worry off my mind. William and Delenn were perfectly healthy and just needed to learn how to gain weight. Right on cue William started fussing, and as I was feeding on demand for the first few days I once again arranged myself on the bed so I could feed my two hungry babies. It was whilst I was occupied that Tom’s phone went off with Lizzie’s text message ring tone. Tom opened and read the message swiftly. He suddenly looked very sheepish as he held the phone so that I could read what she’d written. _‘Tom, do you realise that you have broken the internet with just one picture? Twitter FB and Insta are all experiencing problems since you posted that picture of us all!’_

Tom grinned unrepentantly at me as he simply typed back to her ‘ **Ooops?’** I’m fairly sure that he’d known this was a distinct possibility when he’d posted the picture, but had done it anyway. His inner Loki winning out, instead of the voice of reason.

It was nearly the end of official visiting hours when Luke made his appearance, seeing as we already knew about the internet we weren’t surprised when Luke led with that instead of congratulating us on the safe delivery of the twins. To his credit though, as soon as he’d put in his five ‘professional’ eggs he was straight into friend mode and was soon cooing over Delenn and William like a pro. Even this early on we could tell that, as long as they weren’t really hungry the babies were quite content and amenable to being passed over and held by anyone really (William’s little wail at Lizzie aside), which would no doubt be very useful when they eventually met their extended ‘Avengers family’. I knew Tom had one more film to do, though I wasn’t sure of the extent of his participation, actually we were off as a family in the coming January so that it could be filmed, Tom having already filmed his bit for film one. The names of the films were a closely guarded secret of course, Tom was only allowed to refer to them as Mary-Lou 1 and 2 and as a huge Marvel fan I honestly couldn’t wait, though I suspected tissues would be a requirement at some point, especially after the mid credits scene of Ragnarok!


	8. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title is self explanatory :-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you who read my stories, from those of you who joined me in Ready For Love Again? to those who have joined us on the way. The number of hits I get never ceases to amaze me and comments make it all the better too. I love you all and send you virtual hugs from here in the UK. Stay safe in this madness and I'll see you in the next story, this series is by no means finished yet!

As our midwife, Lisa, had predicted it was only a couple of days before myself and the twins were ready to go home. We would still be under Lisa’s care for a while longer at home as she made sure that we were all settling into our new roles. Tom had been in early every day we’d been in hospital, not wanting to miss any precious time with us at all, but the morning we were due to be discharged he seemed to be in even earlier than usual. We’d already decided that he’d have to drive my new car, which I wasn’t totally used to yet, but I had managed a couple of trips in the substantially bigger car before my pregnancy made it impossible to drive. We’d needed a bigger vehicle as my little car could not have come close to carrying all the paraphernalia that traveling with young babies entailed, well not if I wanted to carry normal sized passengers as well.

Lizzie had been tasked with sorting my clothes for the journey home and the twins outfits had been bought for a little while, matching sleepsuits in pale yellow and little hats to help keep them warm. Obviously being different genders they would not have been dressed identically routinely so it did look cute to see them looking the same for a short while. I’d also decided that we were not going to have exclusively blue and pink wardrobes for them when they were little as there were so many other lovely colours available these days and I really wasn’t a fan of stereotypically dressing babies. To my delight Lizzie had packed me my prettiest maternity dress though it wasn’t really suitable for ‘after’ the babies had been born I would at least look nice going home before I changed into something far more practical.

With Delenn, William and I now dressed for the occasion that only left transport from the room to the car. Tom and I had agonised about which transport system we wanted for our Precious Beans, the only thing being set in stone was that it needed to be a double system obviously but then did we have the twins facing each other so that one was always travelling backwards, or one of the newer systems where the chassis was still narrow but the twins were ‘stacked’ one on top of the other so the twin underneath could only see the underside of their sibling? In the end we decided for a side by side system that would grow with our children for as long as needed, the twins facing the pusher whilst they were very small and then facing forward to be able to see everything as they got older. Tom was still excited by all the bits and bobs we’d bought and could finally use and had insisted that he was in charge of pushing whenever he was capable! I didn’t mind, pleased that he wanted to be involved as much as possible; not that I thought he’d be apathetic once the babies had arrived but some of my friends had had less than positive experiences with their partners once they had been faced with reality. Tom, however, had thrown himself into the role of Daddy as thoroughly as he had for any other role and I knew he was particularly looking excited to put the twins in their cots for the first time, which I was looking forward to as well as it would mean that we were finally home as a family, until work commitments took us away from each other again of course. Still we actually had to get home first! The hospital wouldn’t let us carry William and Delenn in our arms down to the car so we had to use our transport system.

It was interesting trying to work out the logistics of getting us all safely to the car. The easiest way would be to carry them down in their little baby car seats but them Tom would have to struggle with the two empty carriers on his own so, practical head to the fore again I suggested that he bring the whole system up in the lift. He did that and seemed perfectly happy as he manoeuvred his way into our room. We would only have a couple of days before the Hamlet run and were determined to make the most of them, settling the twins into a routine that would encompass Tom’s strange hours, not that our little babies would notice of course and probably wouldn’t be sleeping through the night for a few weeks after the run had ended. Really it was more about Tom and I adjusting to them than them to us. We changed the twins into their going home outfits and settled them in their buggy. They looked very small in the carriers but also totally cute. With fond farewells to all the staff that had looked after us so well in the short time we’d been there we started our journey home. Almost immediately we discovered that we wouldn’t be able to walk hand in hand or arms around each other as we’d been used to as the buggy definitely needed two handed steering. We made it to my car without a hitch but then it was the challenge of securing the car seats into the car which actually turned out to be quite easy and I wondered if Tom had been practicing. Delenn and William had fallen asleep on the way down to the car park, lulled easily by the gentle motion of travel. Once they were safe in the car we figured out folding the chassis down and popping it in the boot. With the twins sleeping peacefully on the back seat and Tom and I exchanging fond glances at them and each other every couple of minutes we made our way back home.

Fin


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